Arizona's Adia Barnes goes back to European recruiting strategy that brought Pueyo, Alonso to Tucson

Adia Barnes went a bit old school — if you can call going back five or six years ago old school — when she decided to dip back into the European market to bring in freshmen Katarina Knezevic of Serbia and Mailien Rolf of Germany to Arizona.

“When I looked at our best teams, we always had some good core European players,” Barnes said. “I definitely want to go back to that model. I’m getting a few every year.” Two of those players Barnes was referring to who were integral to Arizona’s success are former Wildcats Helena Pueyo and Lucia Alonso. Both hail from Spain; Pueyo from Palma de Mallorca and Alonso from Leon. Alonso was Barnes’ first recruit and her first true point guard.

Her name is sprinkled around the UA record book and she leads all Wildcats in career 3-point shooting percentage with 40%. Her 41.7% as a senior is good enough for a top 5 spot in UA program history.

Alonso, was also known as the calm one on the court. Pueyo, who led this year’s squad off the bubble and into the NCAA Tournament in 2024, finished her time as a Wildcat this spring with the most steals in both a UA career (312) and single season (110); she was also a two-time Pac-12 All-Defensive team member.

Pueyo was drafted in April by the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun but didn’t make the opening day roster. Pueyo signed with Basket Zaragoza in her home country and will play for the Spanish National Team’s U23 3x3 team this summer. A few years ago, she won gold in FIBA’s U23 Mediterranean Games. “I just wanted players who can develop,” Barnes said, “that aren’t going to be chasing the portal after a year; that are going to be good core kids like Helena.”

Of players like Pueyo, who “stayed with us for five years,” and was “one of our favorite, best kids ever,” Barnes said there is a different mindset among the player’s families when they’re crossing an ocean to come play U.S. college basketball. “I’ve never had a European player where their families are calling and saying, ‘Why isn’t she playing 10 minutes instead of five or 15 to 20?’ They’re always the most appreciative — just the best people and I’m not just saying that because I’m married to a European,” she said, referencing her husband and UA assistant coach Salvo Coppa.

“It’s just the culture and the way you appreciate what you have. You’re not getting all these facilities and stuff overseas. You’re not getting 10 pairs of shoes. It’s just a different level and it’s a different appreciation. It’s a different work ethic,” she added. “I think those values really add to the team.” Knezevic and Rolf will arrive in Tucson at the end of June. Knezevic, a former soccer standout, only started playing basketball a few years ago but is said to have really taken to the sport. The 6-0 forward played last season with former Wildcat Jade Loville as a reserve on Gran Canaria in Spain.

Barnes said she’s “super skilled and a really good shooter with good size.” Barnes also said Knezevic is tough and plays physical. Barnes recalled her own playing career, and said she loved her Serbian teammates because they were not afraid to mix it up. She added that she expects Knezevic to foul a lot at first since the game is “more physical (in Europe). They can arm bar when you’re dribbling offensively,” but Barnes is confident she’ll pick up the changes in the American game quickly. In Rolf, a 5-10 guard, Barnes added yet another shooter, who she is excited to start working with because she sees a lot in her — someone who, in time, can develop into “a really good player like Helena.”

Connections help bring Jah west

Arizona had a slight advantage when it came to landing highly-rated transfer Sahnya Jah: UA assistant Bett Shelby. Jah had committed to West Virginia before head coach Mike Carey retired and Shelby joined Barnes’ staff at Arizona.

Jah, who was rated No. 40 in the Class of 2023 by ESPN’s HoopGurlz, re-opened her recruiting and ended up at South Carolina, wanting to stay closer to home (she’s from Virginia) even though Barnes and Shelby put on a full-court press.

It has been well-documented that the 6-0 forward played in only 16 games last season for the eventual national champion Gamecocks after being suspended for “conduct detrimental to the team.” Barnes said she talked to her good friend, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, about Jah.

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Without detailing what led to Jah’s suspension, Barnes said last week she “just knew” bringing Jah to Arizona “was the right thing to do.”. Barnes said Jah is very athletic, and the combination of her and Montaya Dew switching between the three and four (wing and small forward) positions will be dynamic, especially on defense.

“The four is a very important position for us,” Barnes said. “It’s what all of our offense goes through. It’s the top of our press. It’s the person that’s in 90% of the on-balls, and we lost a good player in Esmery (Martinez, who graduated and is now playing professionally).

“So getting these young players that we can develop that can be very special is fun.” Under Barnes’ tutelage, Arizona has had a number of top small forwards who have played this key role in the offense, starting with Dominique McBryde, who helped the Wildcats win the 2019 WNIT title. Trinity Baptiste followed, as an integral part of the Wildcats’ run to the 2021 National Championship game.

New league, new faces

Barnes attended her first Big 12 meetings recently and it didn’t start out as smoothly as she would have liked. Because of storms in the eastern part of the country, her flight was delayed and she finally made it to her destination in time for dinner.

Barnes acknowledged it was bittersweet as the Pac-12 was all she’s ever known; she, of course, played in the Pac-10 for Arizona, was an assistant Washington in helping the Huskies to a Final Four before leading her alma mater in Tucson to its own Final Four as a head coach.

While she knows some of the coaches in the new league, there were a lot of new faces, from athletic directors and senior staff. She said it’s “different” but there is a lot she and her program have to look forward to.